PLEASE SIGN AND FORWARD - this is a disgrace!!

In the 2007, the 'artist' Guillermo Vargas Habacuc, took a dog from the street, he tied him to a rope in an art gallery, starving him to death.

For several days, the 'artist' and the visitors of the exhibition have watched emotionless the shameful 'masterpiece' based on the dog's agony, until eventually he died.

Does it look like art to you?

But this is not all ... the prestigious Visual Arts Biennial of the Central American decided that the 'installation' was actually art, so that Guillermo Vargas Habacuc has been invited to repeat his cruel action for the biennial of 2008.

It is reported in blogs, Internet forums and YouTube uploads that in 2007 Guillermo Vargas allegedly took a stray dog called Natividad from the streets of Managua, Nicaragua, and tied it to a short leash as an exhibit in an art gallery. It was initially reported that the dog was left to die with food just beyond its leashes length as patrons passed by in the gallery. Many images have appeared on the Internet showing a thin, emaciated dog tied to a line in a room full of standing people claiming to be photos of the dog. There are no indications in the photos of where or when or who took them.[2][3] He refuses to say whether the dog survived the show but the director of the Códice Gallery is reported as saying that the animal was fed regularly and was only tied up for 3 hours on one day before it escaped.[4] The Humane Society's investigation revealed that, although public perception that the animal had died was part of the artwork's intended effect, the dog was in fact given food and water and allowed to escape back into the street at the conclusion of the exhibit

It is reported in blogs, Internet forums and YouTube uploads that in 2007 Guillermo Vargas allegedly took a stray dog called Natividad from the streets of Managua, Nicaragua, and tied it to a short leash as an exhibit in an art gallery. It was initially reported that the dog was left to die with food just beyond its leashes length as patrons passed by in the gallery. Many images have appeared on the Internet showing a thin, emaciated dog tied to a line in a room full of standing people claiming to be photos of the dog. There are no indications in the photos of where or when or who took them.[2][3] He refuses to say whether the dog survived the show but the director of the Códice Gallery is reported as saying that the animal was fed regularly and was only tied up for 3 hours on one day before it escaped.[4] The Humane Society's investigation revealed that, although public perception that the animal had died was part of the artwork's intended effect, the dog was in fact given food and water and allowed to escape back into the street at the conclusion of the exhibit

Yeah, Snopes says similar. I think this is one of those situations where as long as the negative aspects of something are presented without any background or alternative, especially when it deals with something as apparently cruel as this, knee-jerk reactions come into play.

As this guy is an "artist", I'm sure the best possible thing for him would be to have massive controversy and people signing petitions about him. Had anyone here heard of him before? Thought not. :whistling:

Yeah, Snopes says similar. I think this is one of those situations where as long as the negative aspects of something are presented without any background or alternative, especially when it deals with something as apparently cruel as this, knee-jerk reactions come into play.

As this guy is an "artist", I'm sure the best possible thing for him would be to have massive controversy and people signing petitions about him. Had anyone here heard of him before? Thought not.

Don't take everything at face value.

[SIZE="2"][COLOR="Blue"]Didn't Neville Chamberlain have the idea of sitting back and doing nothing!

Maybe if we have a Media blackout we can forget about the rest of the world and bury our head in the sand.

That isn't what I'm saying at all. But make a decision based on accurate information - in this case, we don't have it one way or the other. It's this sort of running around shouting misinformation which starts wars. ;-)

A friend of mine did tons of research on this back in January, and to be honest the more you know the stranger the whole thing gets.
When the investigation by the Humane society began, they were originally told that the dog was alive and well and that Habacuc had taken it home to live with him, the story then changed when inspectors wanted to see the dog. They then claimed it had escaped after 3 - 4 hours on display. The Humane Society accepted this at face value since it could not be proved otherwise.
The local government then issued statements saying the whole thing was a "hoax" to judge peoples reactions. A few weeks later new photos emerged showing photos of the dog in the same spot after the museum was closed, the dog appeared to be dead. The local authorities claimed this photo could have been any dog and that there was no evidence as to when the photo was taken.

Its up to you what you want to believe about this, is the dog dead or not? Who knows, but they certainly did a cover up job either way.

True or not, does it really hurt to respect other peoples opinions on posting of this kind.
Is there any real need to goad and poke at other peoples concerns.

This section of Hotukdeals is misc-- meaning people can post ( within reason) anything they feel. To often have a read criticism of postings. People picking fights with fellow members.. Hiding behind your screen may make you more vocal but it still shows how arrogant & rude some people are...

If this story is true then i am appalled by it. I hope the person responsible is brought to justice. If its not true then, another legend to add to the hundreds circulating. But C est la vie..

Don't wish to drag this on, but just to the people ho think this did'nt happen because wikipedia says it did'nt, heres a few things to consider:
The museum owner is quoted as saying in different newspaper interviews, that the dog was released after 3 hours, that it escaped in the night, and that it was fed every 2 hours several times a day. Now I'm no maths expert but how can you feed a dog every 2 hours several times a day if it was released after 3 hours???

Also the wikipedia article quotes the American Humane Society as saying "The Humane Society's investigation revealed that, although public perception that the animal had died was part of the artwork's intended effect, the dog was in fact given food and water and allowed to escape back into the street at the conclusion of the exhibit" pretty convincing stuff eh? Well just try clicking that link that the article cites, it actually say nothing of the sort, but rather "We are aware of this story and have asked our contacts in Central America for more information. According to local animal welfare organizations, the dog was in a state of starvation when he was captured from the street for display in the exhibit. We have also been informed that the dog spent one day in the exhibit and later escaped the gallery. We do not condone the actions of this so-called "artist," and condemn the use of live animals in exhibits such as this. An animal welfare organization in Honduras, where the next art show will be held, is keeping close watch on the case and assures us that the artist will not repeat his objectionable exhibit."

Perhaps most interestingly though, the "artist" admits that the dog died, and claims he did it to highlight the plight of starving street dogs.

The point I'm making is that I agree you should'nt believe everything you read without first investigating, but surely that should include wikipedia? Do I know for a fact Natividad died? No, do I think he did? Yes. Make your own minds up by all means but at least consider signing the petition.
Rant over :D

Yeah theres a fair few people that saw it including the guy who started the petition, its the local government that seems to be trying to play it down. As I said before, the "artist" freely admits it happend, its just others trying to make it hush hush.

Yeah theres a fair few people that saw it including the guy who started the petition, its the local government that seems to be trying to play it down. As I said before, the "artist" freely admits it happend, its just others trying to make it hush hush.

Hello everyone. My name is Guillermo Habacuc Vargas. I am 50 years old and an artist. Recently, I have been critisized for my work titled "Eres lo que lees", which features a dog named Natividad. The purpose of the work was not to cause any type of infliction on the poor, innocent creature, but rather to illustrate a point. In my home city of San Jose, Costa Rica, tens of thousands of stray dogs starve and die of illness each year in the streets and no one pays them a second thought.

Now, if you publicly display one of these starving creatures, such as the case with Natividad, it creates a backlash that brings out a big of hypocrisy in all of us. Natividad was a very sick creature and would have died in the streets anyway.